News

SecAF: Stay focused on readiness during challenging times

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Robins  hosted Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley Monday and Tuesday.

Arriving to a sunny and warm middle Georgia day, Donley took a tour of the base before speaking to an audience of 250 during an All Call at the Heritage Club Ballroom on Monday.

Maj. Gen. Robert McMahon, center commander, greeted the packed room of Team Robins members from across the installation.

"It is an honor for us to have the Secretary of the Air Force here to share some of his thoughts, ideas and vision," McMahon said. "We are appreciative of the leadership [Secretary Donley has] provided us."

Donley, currently in his fourth year as secretary, said it had been more than 20 years since his last visit to Robins. He complimented the strong community support enjoyed by the base and recognized the importance of Team Robins to the nation.

"This is a great mission, and it's extremely important to the warfighter to have their equipment coming here for refurbishment and overhaul," he said. "It has always been to me a remarkable process: these aging airframes come in, get completely torn down, and leave here almost like new aircraft. Everything you do here is critical."

He reiterated the accomplishments of Robins over the past year, pointing out that the center started fiscal 2011 with 25 late aircraft, yet began fiscal 2012 with none. He also applauded the ongoing work to improve working conditions and safety.

While Airmen are doing outstanding work all across the Air Force, the service finds itself in extremely challenging times and faces a very complex security environment, Donley said.

"Our Air Force is fully engaged today in four major lines of operation, with finishing the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "We continue to fight against Al Qaeda and its global affiliates, and are also supporting the NATO mission in Libya."

Donley also discussed the budget constraints facing the nation and the potential effects of those on the Air Force.

"Our Air Force last year identified $33 billion in efficiencies across the future years defense plan, which we were allowed to reinvest into the Air Force," he noted. "But we know going forward that efficiencies alone will not be enough."

Expected reductions in future defense spending are in line with what military leaders had anticipated, Donley said, and will extend roughly into the next 10 years. Although implementing the reductions will be tough, Donley said the savings are achievable.

"To get these savings, we will need to accept greater risks in some areas," he said. "We're going to terminate some programs, streamline and delay others, and continue to drive efficiency in our operations."

Donley said supporting service members and their families will remain job one, which includes ensuring wages and benefits packages are sustainable into the future.

"We are committed to making sure that the United States continues to have the world's finest Air Force for generations to come," he continued.

Balance will be important as well, whether across core functions, on readiness and modernization needs, or across active duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard components, Donley said.

"In the Air Force, we have determined that balance is key to our resourcing strategy to accommodate the uncertainty in the fiscally challenged future we face," Donley said.

Donley also told the audience that Air Force depots must not be consolidated to fewer than three.

"These are large, complex activities," he added. "Further consolidation of these large facilities would displace our skilled workforce. This would be cost prohibitive."

Although the Air Force of tomorrow will likely be smaller, Donley said expectations are that it will remain fully effective. This means that many installations will look and operate differently.

However, taking care of people and advancing Air Force capabilities, through programs like the Joint Strike Fighter, the KC-46A and the Long Range Strike family of systems, will remain priorities, Donley said.

While at Robins AFB on Monday, Donley also took a tour of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center's Mission Control Room in Bldg. 215; received briefings on workplace safety and health; took an Occupational Safety and Health improvements tour of Bldg. 169; learned about the center's high velocity maintenance successes; and toured the Special Operations Forces Extendable Integration Support Environment Lab.

Donley concluded his visit Tuesday morning with an early breakfast with Airmen at the Wynn Dining Facility, followed by additional briefings on the C-17 Combined Program Office, and Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance synergy. He also toured C-5 Maintenance Steering Group 3 and F-15 re-wire areas.